Amusement device



.l Eg KOHLER. AMUS'IEMEN DEVICE'(REYOLVINGWALKJNG BEAM).

Patented Feb.' 7, 1921 SSrfEETSAHHIL- 'In A E. KHLER.

v AMUSEMENT DEVICEBEVOLVING WALKING BEAM). APPLICATIONV FILEDAUG-23.1919.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. KHLER. MUSEMENT DEVICE (REVOLVING WALKING BEAM).

APPLICATION FAILED AUG28| 1919.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

EUIESTKOHICY' muni'nz UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST KOHLER,l OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED MINES ANDMANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F ARIZONA.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE, (REVOLVING WALKING BEAM.)

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 7, 1922.

Application led August 28, 1919. Serial No. 320,391.

To @ZZ whom it may concern: n

Be it known that I, ERNEST KoHLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, in the county of Denver land State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement Devices,(Revolving Talking Beam;) and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to amusement appa^ ratus and more particularly tothat type of apparatus comprising a beam having arrangements forcarrying passengers.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a simple,practicable, substantial and attractive forni of amusement apparatus inwhich the traveling member or walking beam is given a movementsubjecting the passenger to the sensation of a rolling or wave likemovement.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a peculiar yetelicient and substantial carrying and guide structure for the travelingbeam and to provide a substantial bearing or support about which thebeam may swing on a vertical axis.

With the above and other objects in view as will present themselves tothose versed in the art from the disclosure in the followingspecification the invention consists of the construction, combination,and in details and arrangements of the parts as more par ticularlydescribed hereinafter relative to the embodiment of the inventionillustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 a side elevation of the walking beam, a portion of its supportbeing in section to indicate one form of structure..

Figure 2 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention correspondingto that disclosed in Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of a modified form of track structure and,

Figure 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the beam and a sectionalview of a portion of the modified track structure as shown in Fig. 3.

The present apparatus in its illustrated embodiment comprises apassenger carrying beam like member of suitable form; being in thepresent case formed of a trussed frame 2 of suitable length and widthhaving a diametrically extending passage-way or aisle 3 providing accessto groups of seats 4 on the distal and swinging end of the beam 2. Asshown the swinging ends are widened with respect to the passage-way 3 toprovide the-desired floor area for the group of seats or chairs 4 whichlatter may obviously be of any suitable organization or arrangement andmay be Xed or movable with respect to the beam 2. The beam is centrallypivoted to oscillate in a vertical plane on a trunnion or shaft 5 whichmay extend transversely across the beam above or below the Hoor.

lThis trunnion or pivot 5 formed or mounted on the upper part of atubular journal or bearing member 6 fitting an upright column or post 7between which journal 6, post 7 may be provided with anti-frictionbearings 8 to reduce the resistance of turning forces whereby the beam 2is swung about its vertical axis. This turning force may be derived fromany suitable source and appropriate means and as here shown the bearingor journal sleeve 6 as secured or formed on it, bevel gear 9 engaging apinion 10 and a jack shaft 11 carrying a reduced gear 12 driven b vapinion of the shaft of a motor 13. This mechanism obviously providesmeans for imparting rotary movements to the beam.

It is desirable to combine the rotary movement of the beam with verticaloscillations thereof and a feature of the present invention rests inmeans for accomplishing the desired vertical oscillations. In Fig. 1 thebeam has suitably mounted on its underneath structure travelers orrollers 15 appropriately arranged in bearings 16 the rollers beingadapted to travel on a. suitable track way in this Fig comprising track17 having an undulating top surface on which the rollers 15 travel and,as, in this instance, the bearings 16 for the rollers are rigid with thebeam it is necessary to arrange the track 17 with a peculiar contour tocompensate for* the irregular path or movement of the rollers 15 due tothe combination of a vertical movement of the rollers and a rotarymovement of the beam carrying the rollers about the axis of the pivotelement 7. This peculiar out-line of the track 17 is plainly shown inFig. 2 wherein the outermost arcs 17* represent the higher levels of thetrack 17 supporting the upwardly tilted beam to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 1, whilst the diametrisoy cally opposite portion ofthe track 17 is contracted to the position 17" to engage the rollers 15as they swing to the lowermost and innermost position with respect tothe pivot 7. Obviously as many of the undulations as desired may beformed in the track 17 and thereby determine the number of verticaloscillations of the beam during one cycle about its vertical axis; andalso the track may be provided with dissimilar cam-like surfaces ofunlimited variety.

In Figs. 3 and 4L of the invention a somewhat modified form of the meansfor oscillating the beam is shown and comprises a track structureincluding channel irons 20 set back to back and having an undulating topsurface but in this case the track structure is circular in plane thisbeing made possible by so mounting the rollers 17 that they can swingwith respect to the beam to compensate for the change of horizontalposition of their connection to the beam and whilst still engaging thecircular track way. The rollers are shown in Fig. 4 as disposed inspaced relation to each other in pairs, one roller on each side of thetrack structure 2Ol and interposed between the" upper and loweroutturned flanges of the channel iron. The rollers are mounted on ayoke21 straddling the track surface 2O and being pivoted on 22 on a link 23which in turn is pivoted` at 24 to a suitable supporting bracket as 25or other convenient place of attachment on the beam. Y

From .this it will be seen that as the beam oscillates the yokes21'constantlyl travel in acircle while the links 23 swing on thevyokesto compensate for the relative horizontal change of position of theirbearings 25 due to the oscillation of the beam.

It will be seen thatby arrangingy the rollers 17 in Fig. 4 underneathofthe flanges of the rail structure 2O7 the rollers cannot be# comedisplaced therefrom as they are substantially interlocked againstlateral movement. Y

What I desire to claim is:

1. In an amusement apparatus an upright revoluble bearing, a rigidbeam-like member revoluble with said bearing and fulcrumed between itsends so as to oscillate vertically, passengerV accommodations at eachend of the beam, and apassenger aisle extendingy along the beam, andmeans yto revolve and oscillate said beam.

2. In an amusement apparatus, a truss beam having passengeraccommodations at each end, an upright rotary bearing there-y for, saidbeam being fulcrumed vtrans-1 versely on the said rotary bearings, aguarded aisle along the beam between the passenger accommodations, andmeans to re` volve and oscillate said beam.

3. In an amusement'apparatus, an upright revoluble lbearing member, abeam with passenger accommodationsV revoluble with said Abearing andfulcrumed thereon, an undulating circular track provided with lateralianges, a yoke member astride the` flanges and carrying antifrictionbearing de-V vices engaging under the flanges,.anda compensatingconnection between the yoke member and the beam and means for revolvingthebeam. Y

In testimony whereof I aiiixmy signature.

ERNEST KOHLER'.

